Nutrition

Become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)

Prepare for your desired career within the nutrition field. If you’re interested in becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, ACU’s Didactic Program in Dietetics (DPD) might be right for you as the first step in this process. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean salary for Dietitians in 2022 was $69,880.

How to Become a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

1. 1. Complete a bachelor’s degree and receive a verification statement from an ACEND-accredited program (e.g. a DPD program like the one at ACU.)
   2. Complete an ACEND-accredited supervised practice program (e.g. dietetic internship or individual supervised practice pathway)
   3. Effective January 1, 2024, a graduate degree will be required to be eligible to take the Commission on Dietetic Registration exam. 
   4. Pass the Commission on Dietetic Registration’s dietetic registration exam.

DPD Student Handbook
The estimated costs associated with the Didactic Program in Dietetics, including tuition and fees, necessary books and supplies, transportation, typical charges for room and board or housing, and any other program-specific costs are located within the DPD Student Handbook.

Additional information regarding graduation and program completion requirements can be found in the DPD Student Handbook and Catalog.

DPD STUDENT HANDBOOK

Let’s Get started

admissions Requirements

Admission into the DPD requires a formal application and interview process. The student must complete the DPD application and email it to the DPD director, joness@acu.edu. Once the application is received, the student will be contacted to schedule a formal interview. The student must have at least 90 points on the application and a favorable interview to gain admittance into the DPD program. Students must have completed all of the following requirements in order to be eligible to submit a DPD admission application: 

1. Must have an overall GPA of at least 3.0. 
2. Must have complete 45 hours of course work
3. For transfer students or students who change their major to Nutrition, must have taken at least 6 hours of nutrition courses at ACU and have been a nutrition major at ACU for at least 2 semesters
4. Must have completed the following courses or their equivalent: CHEM 113, CHEM 114, BIOL 291/293, BIOL 292/294
5. Must have attended one of the DPD Interest Meetings & signed the DPD handbook agreement form shown in Appendix B of the DPD student handbook. 

Application for
DPD Program Admittance

Graduation and Program Completion Requirements

1. GPA minimum of 3.0 
2. Satisfactory completion of all KRDN-related assignments (see above for more information on KRDN assignments)
3. Successful completion of NDPD track degree plan

SAMPLE DEGREE PLAN

Assessment and Credit for Prior Learning

Experiential learning and experience will not be counted toward credit for DPD program requirements. ACU does not offer nor accept college credit for vocational/technical training or for work force education courses. The registrar will evaluate transferred courses according to the Texas equivalency code. If there is not a course equivalency code for a transferred nutrition course, the DPD director and department chair will review the course for equivalency. The course syllabus from the institution where credit was received may be required for review to determine course equivalency. Samples of work completed may also be required. The DPD director will meet with the Kinesiology and Nutrition Department Chair to determine course equivalency. The ACEND Core Knowledge Requirements for Didactic Programs in Dietetics, as well as university requirements, will be used to determine equivalency. If approved, the DPD Director or Chair of the Department will contact the Registrar’s Office. 

Scholarships

The Kinesiology and Nutrition Department has departmental scholarships. The Marie Wilmeth Scholarship is for nutrition majors and preferences is given to Nutrition majors for the Tonja Zickefoose Rushing Scholarship. Contact the financial aid office regarding details on how to apply to departmental scholarships.

Additional information on scholarships and financial aid can be found on our website at the button below.

financial AID

Scholarship Information

Dietetic internships

Graduates of the DPD are prepared to enter dietetic internships.

On your Dietetic Internship application, you need to show that you meet the GPA requirements and have significant leadership, volunteer and work experience in a nutrition-related field. Applicants apply for Dietetic Internships through a computer-based approach that matches the preferences of applicants for Dietetic Internships (DIs) with the preferences of DI program directors.  Verification statements will be issued to students by the Director of the DPD upon graduation  and  completion of the DPD requirements. These verification statements can be provided to Dietetic Internship Directors when applying to dietetic internships.

Didactic Program in Dietetics majors may apply to dietetic internships accredited by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics during their last year of undergraduate work. These internships take 6-24 months, and often include the MS degree.

MORE ABOUT DIETETIC INTERNSHIPS

Learning Online

The DPD track is an in-person degree. However, some DPD coursework may be offered online. Online courses may require access to a computer with webcam capabilities for synchronous learning and/or identity verification for online exams. Find support for online courses at the button below.

Technology Service and Support

STATE Licensure

Many states, including Texas, require dietitians to be licensed in order to use the term Licensed Dietitian. A person who is registered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration CDR, has already met the educational, experience, and examination requirements needed to apply for a Texas dietitian license.

MORE about licensure